Nova Scotia

Coxheath Hills residents worried about silence surrounding proposed CBRM copper mine

A group of residents in the Coxheath Hills area near Sydney, N.S., says it is concerned that no one is providing an update on a proposed copper mine two years after the company offered to buy some public land for the project.

Residents' group says municipality, company are not providing any updates 2 years after land purchase offer

Tall metal towers carrying power lines run uphill into the distance and over the top of a distant hill covered in green trees.
Power lines cut across the Coxheath Hills area about 10 kilometres southwest of Sydney, N.S., running across land where junior mining company Nova Copper wants to establish a copper mine. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

Residents in the Coxheath Hills area about 10 kilometres southwest of Sydney, N.S., are nervously awaiting word on the status of a proposed copper mine.

Nova Copper offered to buy some land two years ago from Cape Breton Regional Municipality for its proposed mining project, but council declined to publicly consider it.

Laura MacNeil, president of the Keep Coxheath Clean Association, said residents are worried a copper mine could hurt wildlife and ruin the drinking water.

"The community has to be on board and we are simply not," she said in a recent interview. "We refuse to become a sacrifice zone."

MacNeil said CBRM council promised consultation with residents two years ago, but is no longer responding to requests for information.

"It's really concerning," she said.

"We are a group of citizens who have legitimate concerns with this project. It has the potential to poison our drinking water, so we kind of feel like we're yelling into the void."

Copper exploration ongoing

Copper is a critical mineral needed for batteries, electric motors and renewable energy.  According to the Mining Association of Nova Scotia, the first exploration for copper in the Coxheath Hills began in 1878. 

Nova Copper president Harry Cabrita has said the project is still in its exploration phase and workers are collecting mineral samples over a wide area.

According to the Keep Coxheath Clean Association, a freedom of information request with CBRM uncovered a letter from the company to Coun. Esmond (Blue) Marshall last fall.

In it, Nova Copper said it would be reaching out to First Nations leaders and creating a community liaison committee "in the weeks to come." 

No one from Nova Copper would provide an interview, but spokesman Joe Hines said in an email that the company is close to signing an agreement.

He did not say what that agreement would mean.

A man with black hair and a dark blue suit gestures with his hands while talking to a man with grey hair and a white checked shirt.
District 3 Coun. Esmond (Blue) Marshall says he has not heard anything lately about a proposed copper mine in the Coxheath Hills area southwest of Sydney. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

Marshall, who represents the Coxheath Hills area on CBRM council, said in a phone call last week that he has not heard anything lately about the proposed mine.

Meanwhile, MacNeil called it upsetting that the provincial government is pushing for the development of critical metals like copper.

"That was not part of their platform when we were in the election back in the fall, so it's disappointing that they are now deciding without the voters' say that this is the direction we're taking.

"We believe in development. We know that's so important. We need jobs in Nova Scotia, but it can't be at any cost."

A group of people are gathered and holding signs with slogans such as "Say no to mining" and "Don't pollute the water".
Members of the Keep Coxheath Clean Association gathered outside a CBRM council meeting in 2023 to oppose the sale of public lands for Nova Copper's proposed mine. (Keep Coxheath Clean/Facebook)

MacNeil said the silence around the project has residents wondering if it is being advanced without public scrutiny.

"You know, mining waste is toxic. It can affect entire watersheds.

"This is a really serious concern. This is not NIMBYism. This is our water supply. Are we going to be able to drink it? That is a fundamental issue here that nobody seems to be recognizing."

Environmental agency ACAP Cape Breton has been collecting data on biodiversity in the area during the month of June for the past two years.

A woman with long reddish-blonde hair wearing a dark coloured blouse smiles.
ACAP Cape Breton executive director Kathleen Aikens says the environmental agency needs more information before it can take a stance on a proposed copper mine. (Tom Ayers/CBC)

Executive director Kathleen Aikens said it's too soon to talk about this year's findings, but last year volunteers found older forests, a variety of trees, plants and animals, as well as an olive-sided flycatcher — a bird considered a species at risk.

She said that does not necessarily mean the area needs to be protected and more studies are needed before deciding whether a mine should open there.

"Really. it's about having as much information as possible to make good decisions," Aikens said.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tom Ayers

Reporter/Editor

Tom Ayers has been a reporter and editor for 39 years. He has spent the last 21 covering Cape Breton and Nova Scotia stories. You can reach him at tom.ayers@cbc.ca.

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